Method and means for treating wire



May 21, 1957 J; E.- CIQROWLEY 2,793,144

' METHOD AND MEANS FoR TREATING WIRE Filed July 9, 1954 INVENTOR Ja/nws E; rowlej EJQ.

- ATTOR Y United States Patent ce METHOD AND MEANS FOR TREATING WIRE James E. Crowley, Bethlehem, Pa., assignor to Bethlehem Steel Company, a corporation of Pennsylvania Application July 9, 1954, Serial No. 442,317

10 Claims. (Cl. 134--9) This invention relates to a process and apparatus for the removal of deleterious substances from wires and other continuous filamentous material, and relates more particularly to the removal of molten non-ferrous metal from a traveling steel wire.

The principal object of this invention is to remove, in a satisfactory manner, molten non-ferrous metal, such as lead, from steel wire.

Another object is to remove molten metal from wire in a manner so that the physical properties of the wire remain unchanged.

A further object is to remove molten metal from a moving steel wire when the wire itself is at a relatively high temperature.

. Another object is to provide a wire wiping device which is easily applied to, or removed from, a hot moving wire.

Still another object is to provide a wiping device which will accommodate wires of different diameters, and which will permit welds and looped joints to pass freely.

' In the lead patenting or lead annealing of steel wire, wire is drawn through a furnace having a lead bath temperature of approximately 1600 F., or 1400 F., depending npon Whether a patenting or an annealing treatment is desired. Where quenching is used, upon leaving the furnace, the hot wire, after traversing a short path outside the furnace, is introduced into a lead quench bath. The temperature of the quench bath is approximately 1100" F. In the case of the smaller diameter wires, i. e., those ranging from .025 inch to .050 inch diameter, the wires may travel at a speed as great as 300 feet per minute. When the wires emerge from a molten lead bath at this high rate of speed, some molten lead is usually dragged out on the surface of the wire. When wire, which has dragged-out lead on its surface, is subsequently cooled and coated with zinc in an electrogalvanizing operation, the lead present lowers the electrochemical efficiency of the zinc plating operation, and in addition develops poor coating adherence at points on the wire where the lead is distributed. Mechanical difficulties may also develop in the electrogalvanizing operation due to lead accretions.

Numerous methods have been tried in attempts to remove the molten lead from wire, as the wire moves out of the molten lead bath. The wire at this'point has a temperature in the neighborhood of 1400 F., or 1100" F. where a lead quench is used.

Among methods tried for lead removal have been those of asbestos wipes (compression), the use of sand on the exit end of the lead pot, driven wire brushes and other expedients well known in the art. None of these known methods have proved completely satisfactory from the standpointof maintenance or efliciency.

I have found that a spiral wipe in the form of a carbon steel rod or heavy wire, of circular cross-section, when applied to a wire emerging from a lead bath, will produce. a satisfactory cleaning action on the moving wire. The spiral wipe should have at least one, and preferably two, complete turns or convolutions, and each 2,793,144 w re Ma 2 9 turn must have an internal diameter smaller than the diameter of the wire being cleaned. It is both practicable and convenient to use an internal helical diameter of sub stantially zero. The wipe must be secured at the adit end, and preferably, remain free at the exit end. By maintaining the exit end free, the normal strumming action in the passing wire is not hindered, and thereby the removal of lead-from the spiral wipe is facilitated;

In the accompanying drawing:

Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic side view showing the path of wire travel through a lead bath, and thence through a spiral wipe.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged view of the spiral wipe showing the sinuous path taken by the wire as it passes along the spiral.

As one example of the manner in which my invention may be performed reference should be made to Fig. 1, wherein a wire 1 passes through a molten lead bath 2 in the direction indicated. As the wire emerges from the lead bath, it contacts an elongated spiral wipe 3 and travels therealong in a sinuous path and in bearing relationship to the spiral wipe throughout the entire length of the wipe, as shown in Fig. 2. The wipe is fastened to bar 4. The diameter-of the spiral wiping rod should be greater than the diameter of the wire to be cleaned. The internal diameter of each'turn of the spiral wiping rod 3 must be less than the diameter of wire 1 to insure a positive pressure on the wire at all points of contact between wire. and rod. It is preferable to have the internal diameter of each turn at substantially zero. Because of these limitations, wire 1 will never be permitted to pass through the spiral in a straight line, but will be made to follow the path of the turns of the spiral. In this manner a thorough wiping action is obtained.

With a heavy material such as molten lead, at least one complete turn is required in the spiral to provide satisfactory wiping action, but more turns may be used as desired.

Mild carbon steel rods may be used in forming the spiral wipe, and while rods of this character will eventually wear to the point where they no longer perform an efiicient wiping action, quite a few tons of wire may be processed with this type of wiping rod before the rods must be discarded. If desired, hardened steel rods may be used. Because of the wear on the wipe, it is usually desirable to have more than one spiral, and generally three will be sufficient.

A Wipe of spiral, or helical, configuration may be made by selecting two straight cylindrically shaped rods and co-twisting the rods about each other by any desired means so that the finished product will have at least one complete turn. For example, the rods are fixed at one end in the rotatable head of a lathe. The rods at the other end are fixed to a movable tailstock. Upon rotating the head, natural spirals are formed and the tailstock is free to move to accommodate the change in length of the twisting rod. When the twisting has progrossed sufficiently, the rods are removed from the lathe and unraveled. Preferably, the axial length, the length defined by the center line ofFig. 2, of each turn should be approximately six inches. Longer rods having an additional number of turns may be used. While a six inch axial length, or pitch, for each turn is desirable, the axial length of the turn may be reduced to as low as two inches. One end of the rod may be fashioned into the form of a hook for the purpose of securing the rod during use.

While there is no limitation as to the size of wire which may be cleaned by my method, as a practical matter, the sizes generally requiring cleaning will range from .025 inch to .100 inch in diameter.

One outstanding advantage of cleaning wires by my method is in the application or removal of wiping spirals. In order to apply the wipe to a moving wire, the wipe should first be secured to a bar or heavy rod, which may be positioned transversely of, and below, the wires as they come from the lead bath. The wipe is then merely woven around the wire until all turns of the wipe are in contact with the wire. To remove the wipe, the steps of application are reversed. It has been found convenient to use the handle of a pair of cutting pliers, such as those normally used in wire mills, to apply or remove the wipe. The simplicity of applying or removing the wipe to or from a moving wire, and especially a hot wire, is quite advantageous, aside from the very etfective cleaning obtained by use of the wipe. The wipe may be applied or removed in a matter of a minute or so, while at no time is it necessary to halt the travel of the wire being treated.

In one instance in which my invention was used to remove lead from lead patented wire, a spiral wipe having six turns, arid made from a .250 inch mild carbon steel straightened rod, was applied to each of four wires in a four wire lead patenting operation. The wires being treated were of .57 carbon steel and had a diameter 'of .060 inch. Each turn of each spiral wipe had an axial length of 6 inches and an internal diameter of less than .060 inch. The wires, upon leaving the lead bath (bath temperature, 1100 F.) and passing through the .wipes, were traveling at a speed of 200 feet per minute. The wipes removed 18 pounds of lead per net ton of wire cleaned. The wear on the wipes was such that each wipe was effective in the treatment of approximately ten tons of wire. The tension applied to the wire during cleaning did not change the physical properties of the wire.

In the continuous heat treatment of wire, one bundle of wire is usually attached to a preceding bundle by welding, or by looping the adjoining ends of the bundles. Welds and looped joints do not hinder the passage of the wire through the spiral wipe. This is an outstanding advantage of my cleaning method.

While I have particularly .pointed out a method of wiping wire,'it will be readily understood that my invention can be applied to the wiping of the surface of any form of continuous filament, such as plastic filament, thread, etc.

I claim:

1. The method of removing deleterious material from a substantially round filament which comprises passing said filament longitudinally along and around the surface of a substantially round rod of spiral formation and in single line contact therewith, the internal diameter of the rod spiral being less than the diameter of said filament during the passage of the filament along and around the spiral.

2. The method of removing deleterious material from a substantially round filament which comprises passing said filament longitudinally along and around the surface of a substantially round rod in the form of a helix having at least two turns, and in single line contact therewith throughout the entire length of at least the first two turns of the rod, the internal diameter of said helix being less than the diameter of said filament during the passage of the filament along and around the helix.

3. The method of removing deleterious material from a substantially round wire which comprises passing said wire longitudinally along and around the surface of a substantially round spiral metal rod and in single line contact therewith, the internal diameter of the rod spiral being less than the diameter of said wire during the passage of the wire along and around the spiral.

4. The method of removing deleterious material from a substantially round wire which comprises passing said wire longitudinally along and around the surface of a substantially round spiral metal rod having at least two turns, and in single line contacttherewith throughout the entire length of at least the first two turns of the rod spiral, the internal diameter of said spiral being less than the diameter of said wire during the passage of the wire along and around the spiral.

5. The method of removing deleterious material from a substantially round wire which comprises passing said wire longitudinally along and around the surface of an elongated spiral metal rod having at least one turn, and in single line contact therewith throughout the entire length of at least the first turn of the rod spiral, the internal diameter of said spiral being less than the diameter of said wire during the passage of the wire along and around the spiral.

6. The method of removing deleterious material from a substantially round wire which comprises passing said wire in a longitudinal direction along and around the surface of an elongated spiral metal rod having at least two turns, the internal diameter of the rod spiral being less than the diameter of said wire during the passage of the wire through the spiral, said rod being in single line contact with said wire throughout the entire length of at least the first two turns of the rod spiral, with the forward end of said rod being fixed.

7. The method of removing deleterious material from a substantially round wire which comprises passing said wire in a longitudinal direction along and around the surface of an elongated spiral metal rod having at least two turns, the internal diameter of the rod spiral being less than the diameter of said wire during the passage of the wire through the spiral, said rod being in single line contact with said wire throughout the entire length of at least the first -two turns of the rod spiral and having a diameter larger than the wire diameter, with the forward end of the rod being'fixed.

8. The method of removing deleterious material from a substantially round filament which comprises passing said filament longitudinally along and around the surface of a substantially round rod of spiral formation, and in single line contact therewith, each spiral of said rod having a pitch length greater than the sum. of the diameter of the rod plus the diameter of the workpiece and the internal diameter of the rod spiral being less than the diameter of said filament during passage of the filament along and around the spiral.

9. The method of removing deleterious material from a substantially round filament which comprises passing said filament longitudinally along and around the surface of a substantially round rod of spiral formation, and in single line contact therewith, each spiral of said rod having a pitch length greater than the sum of the diameter of the rod plus the largest diameter of the workpiece and the internal diameter of the rod spiral being less than the diameter of said filament during passage of the filament along and around the spiral.

10. The method of removing deleterious material from a substantially round filament which comprises passing said filament longitudinally along and around the surface of a substantially round-rod of spiral formation, and in single line contact therewith, said rod having a hardness at least substantially equal to that of said filament and the internal diameter of the rod spiral being less than the diameter of said filament during passage of'the filament along and around the spiral.

References Cited in the file of thispatent UNITED STATES PATENTS 348,660 Collins Sept. 7, 1886 606,482 Gallagher June 28, 1898 1,766,954 Scholler June 24, 1930 2,178,912 Leahey Nov. 7, 1939 2,239,159 Miller Apr. 22, 1941 2,285,742 Miller June 9, 1942 2,437,528 Hodil Mar. 29, 1948 

1. THE METHOD OF REMOVING DELETERIOUS MATERIAL FROM A SUBSTANTIALLY ROUND FILAMENT WHICH COMPRISES PASSING SAID FILAMENT LONGITUDINALLY ALONG AND AROUND THE SURFACE OF A SUBSANTIALLY ROUND ROD OF SPIRAL FORMATION AND IN SINGLE LINE CONTACT THEREWITH, THE INTERNAL DIAMETER OF THE ROD SPIRAL BEING LESS THAN THE DIAMETER OF SAID FILAMENT DURING THE PASSAGE OF THE FILAMENT ALONG AND AROUND THE SPIRAL. 